Amidst the time honored and proven traditions of the coffee industry, there's something to be admired about coffee companies that are driven by ingenuity and initiative. I believe with coffee there are always new innovations to be discovered given how diverse the needs of coffee drinkers are. Recently, I came across a good example of coffee creativeness from Wildland Coffee with their “Coffee in a Tea Bag.” As a coffee lover who appreciates a quality brew and who often finds himself camping or on the go, I was very interested to see what their product was all about. The company sent me some of their portable coffee in exchange for an honest Wildland Coffee review.
The concept of portable coffee isn't new. From the single serve pour over to portable espresso makers, the world of portable coffee is all about finding that delicate balance between quality and convenience. One of the most unique qualities about Wildland Coffee is that it uses a delivery form that's like a tea bag. This allows the coffee grounds to be steeped as opposed to some other portable brewing methods. Naturally, this will produce a VERY different coffee experience which I've documented below.
- Specialty Grade Brazilian Coffee
- Sourced from ethical and sustainable farms
- Tea bag style brewing method for added convenience
- nitro-flushed
Wildland Coffee Overview
Wildland Coffee Review – Taste, Aroma, and Portability
During certain seasons of my life I tend to travel a lot and the last thing I want to sacrifice is coffee quality while on the road. Really, it’s hard to reproduce the fresh ground, fresh brewed coffee from my kitchen headquarters when I am out exploring the wilderness of Big Sky Country. Yet, I found with Wildland Coffee I am not too far off from that gourmet experience I love from a good home brewed coffee. For the record, I take my coffee seriously so this statement isn't to be taken lightly. Allow me to explain in more detail.
In starting off this Wildland Coffee review, allow me to first share my experience with Wildland Coffee and then explain how the brand was able to produce said experience.
As summer begins to wind down I start roaming the state for upland birds. This usually requires a sunrise cup of coffee followed by another one around mid-morning.
As someone who values fresh coffee, I just don't care much for the “thermos coffee experience” where I make a brew now just to drink in later. This is in part because enjoying coffee for me is as much about the brewing aroma and that first, fresh hot sip more than anything else. That sublime pleasure is hard to come by in a portable brew, especially with instant coffee varieties.
I've had a fair amount of experience with portable coffees and I especially like the single serve pour overs I've tried in the past. However, Wildland Coffee's approach has something special going for it. They put coffee grounds in a tea bag style apparatus that you let steep or brew in hot water.
My first taste of Wildland Coffee was memorable. I had brewed a cup at home and enjoyed it on the road as I tried to get to my destination before the sun fully rose. I immediately noticed the sweet aroma when the bagged grounds hit the hot water. I inhaled something that smacked of impeccable quality. I let that bag brew for about 4 minutes in my to-go cup and then enjoyed a full, but medium-light flavor brew with a hint of citrus. It was coffeehouse-quality coffee without the need for a coffeehouse.
Later in the morning, I brewed a second cup from my tailgate using the same simple process except I brewed it for 7 minutes. The result was as surprising as it was classy. Even in the wide open with a slight Fall breeze, I inhaled the brewing aroma and then sipped a deeper and more robust cup of Wildland Coffee. What was interesting was that while it was a deeper flavor, it wasn't bitter. What's nice about this tea bag brewing method is that you're treated to a distinctly different experience depending on how long you steep the coffee. I could tell there was something different with Wildland Coffee, but didn’t realize exactly what it was until later (more on that shortly).
Wildland Coffee Review: The Process
For those who haven’t experimented with this portable coffee, I will give you a quick run down on how Wildland Coffee works. As already mentioned, Wildland Coffee uses fresh ground coffee packaged in a teabag style filter that you simply dunk in a slightly less than boiling cup of water. I recommend fresh spring water and a cup size of about 12-14 ounces. And, I suggest experimenting with brew times between 4 and 8 minutes. For this process, you really only need something to heat your water and a package of Wildland. No messy clean up and no micro-grounds or undesirable sediment in your cup. With Wildland, it was almost like being at home.
Wildland Coffee Review: So Why Is it So Fresh?
Over the next few trips I had additional cups of Wildland Coffee. With each cup I began to wonder why this portable coffee seemed so different than others I have tried; even more so than my previous favorite on the go method of mini-pour overs. I recognized that Wildland Coffee, like other quality coffee makers, sources quality beans the world over (Brazil in this case) and is careful in their roasting methods. However, there was something more with this brand. Then it hit me. One small sentence on the back of the Wildland package…”nitro flushed…for freshness.” That was it. This was the key to how Wildland coffee offered the same distinct freshness that I was used to from my home grinding and brewing process.
So nitro flushing is a process where all air is removed from the sealed packaging that holds the fresh ground Wildland coffee. Basically, the fresh ground coffee has no opportunity to get stale and retains that fresh ground flavor as a result. I guess with portable coffee my expectations are naturally a little lower. But having tried Wildland Coffee, I realize they don't need to be. While nitro flushing isn't new to coffee, it's often reserved for higher end specialty coffees that appeal to an audience with truly uncompromising standards. It's nice to see the same process implemented in the world of portable coffees.
This portable coffee simply provided a higher standard in taste, quality, aroma, and freshness. Additionally, the tea bag sets a higher standard of convenience as you don't need to constantly pour water in like you would a single serve pour over. The next tailgate brew session proved Wildland was consistent from tea bag to tea bag and cup to cup.
In concluding this Wildland Coffee review, I can summarize it simply. Coffee lovers of all types whether on the go or sedentary need to experience Wildland Coffee. Wildland didn’t try to completely reinvent portable coffee brewing methods. They took what existed and made it easier and fresher. They found a way to bring the most important thing about coffee, freshness, to the road. I'm thankful to have discovered a portable coffee so impressive that it's changed my expectations for coffee on the go.
Wildland Coffee is also priced competitively at around $1.42 a pouch if you buy a pack of 20. Considering the quality you get and convenience afforded, it's well worth it. Use our exclusive Wildland Coffee discount code to enjoy 10% off of your purchase. Additionally, if you spend over $10 you get free shipping within the U.S.
Coupon Code: BQ10
If you've had a chance to try this coffee and would like to leave a Wildland Coffee review, we'd love to hear your thoughts.
Leave a Reply